Zijldijk (Groningen, Netherlands)

Zijldijk, a hamlet in the Dutch province of Groningen, the seat of a Mennonite congregation, formerly belonging to the Groningen Old Flemish branch. The congregation existed from about 1550; Leenaert Bouwens baptized eight persons here (possibly only two, the six others having been baptized at 'tZandt, a village about four miles south of Zijldijk). The Zijldijk meetinghouse, dating from 1791, is a fine specimen of the old barn type. The membership was always small: cl30 in 1710, 89 in 1733, 33 in 1767, 13 in 1802, 62 in 1861, 83 in 1900, 39 in 1926, 65 in 1958. Most of the members live in the villages surrounding Zijldijk. On 11 November 1686, the congregation was severely struck by a flood, seven adults and fourteen children of members perishing in the waters; much livestock was lost. Among the old family names in this congregation are Dijkema, Eendhuizen, Rengers, Doornbos, Huizinga, Coolman, and Gorter.